Exo Cafe's Status

I've been contacted by numerous readers over the past several days regarding Exo Cafe's closing. All I know at this point are rumors that it is being converted into another restaurant, possibly Latin food. If anyone knows anything else, email edgeofthecity@gmail.com Thanks!

And thanks to Enrique for sending in this photo via Twitter!

Snow Plow Shatters Exo Cafe Windows

This happened Thursday night at Exo Cafe on Austin St., according to NBC news. I've included a link to the story below the video.


Snow From Plow Truck Shatters Restaurant Windows, Knocks Over Customer

The incident happened at Exo Cafe, shown here under construction a few years ago.

FoHi's Salad Days

Salads are busting out all over town as we get into the swing of Spring here in The Hills! I noticed EuroPan has now introduced its own make-your-own salads counter and also seems to be more prominently displaying its variety of sandwiches. Not to say EuroPan is gourmet fair, but, hey, sandwiches and salads are delightfully healthy additions to our choice of foodstuffs.

Not sure, but I would suspect EuroPan may be reacting to the recent opening of Energy Green in the Austin St. mall, and of Exo Cafe right across the street, two places that are heavy on the light fare such as salads and sandwiches.

The well-equipped salad bar at the new Energy Green.

Edge of the City Review: Exo Cafe

I had lunch at Exo, the new place on Austin, over the weekend, ordering the sampler plate ($12.95) for an appetizer, the classic cheese burger ($10.25) and to drink I had something from their craft beer menu, an Apple beer by Ephemere ($7). For dessert I just had an iced American coffee ($3.75) (this was when it was still Spring and not Winter like today, so iced, not hot :).

All in all, I think Exo is a very good addition to Forest Hills and I would definitely go back. My strongest positive association with it, now a few days out, is of how comfortable a place it is to relax with friends. Unlike many restaurants in the City, this place, especially on the second floor where I ate, is nice and roomy, The tables are very nicely spread out, giving you a chance to have a conversation with your friends and not have to be listening to the people sitting right next to you at the same time! What a breath of fresh air that is for the City, right?

One thing I noticed about Exo is your experience is very much determined by where you end up sitting. If you are facing one direction, you could end up staring at a big-screen TV showing a ball game. If you are facing another, you could end up looking out one of the big windows at the passers-by on Austin. So, this place can either feel like a sports bar or a nice, casual restaurant, depending on where you are sitting. Overall grade for atmosphere and the design of the place: A+.

The upstairs dining area at the new Exo Cafe on Austin St.

Now onto the meal. I enjoyed their sampler plate, which comes with beer battered onion rings, chicken poppers and cheddar cheese sticks. My favorite of these were the cheddar cheese sticks - nice and peppery. Overall grade for this dish: B+.

I also really liked their beer selection (see photo of menu below). Some of the more progressive restaurants are starting to offer a nice selection of craft beers, and Exo is one of them. Overall grade for beer: A.

Unfortunately, my least favorite part of my first Exo Experience was the main course. My classic cheese burger started out strong - it was presented really nicely, with Belgian fries on the side.  But by the time I was finished I wasn't very impressed. The burger was even slightly overcooked in one part. Overall, it was kind of dry, not a big, juicy, tasty burger. Now, it wasn't bad - just not great. Grade for the burger: B-
The fries were pretty good - I recommend them alone, without ketchup. Fries grade: B+

For dessert I had an iced coffee which was fine. I'd give it a B+

Also, our service was very good. The staff was extremely friendly, attentive, and helpful. And the food came out pretty fast. Service: A+

So, wrapping it all up. I recommend Exo Cafe as a nice place if you want to spend a relaxing time with friends or family. It's a very casual, nicely decorated restaurant and bar with great atmosphere, excellent service and pretty good - not great - food. I look forward to trying some of the other dishes there. The salads I saw being served looked very impressive.

Overall grade for Exo Cafe: B

Looking down on the bar area at Exo.

The view from Exo's second floor. Great people watching while you eat!

Exo's craft beer list. 

Exo Cafe Tweets

Just passing along the first couple of tweets from the new Exo Cafe on Austin. They give you some info about the menu there:

Exo Cafe is now open in Forest Hills, New York! We offer delicious appetizers, paninos, salads, and smoked burgers! Come and join us today!

Exo offers an extensive Craft Draught Beer Menu. We have light lager such as Radeberger and darker lager such as Kelso Nut Brown Lager.

More on New Exo Cafe

I stopped into the new Exo Cafe just to see it for myself and take a look at their menu. I didn't have the time to eat there yet, but I did speak a bit to the hostess. She told me they don't have a take out menu yet, so I am only going by memory here with these menu observations:

1. The place is definitely a good fit for our neighborhood. It has a lounge feel, a cool place to get together with friends for a quick bite or a drink.
2. I was impressed that they are trying to have a strong selection of craft beers. Almost half of the back of the menu was devoted to craft beer. 
3. The menu is very reasonably priced. Burgers, sandwiches, salads all seemed to top off around $12.
4. The burgers were quite creative - Hawaiian Burger anyone?
5. They also have a large selection of appetizers.
6. The moody lighting makes this place not a "family-friendly" restaurant, which I was kind of hoping it would be. Why not an upbeat place for brunch like we desperately need here in Forest Hills? Instead, another moody, more night-life oriented venue. Hey, I'm not really complaining because God knows we need some good food in Forest Hills! Now, let's just hope the food is good!

Click here for a couple of reviews from Yelp! 

Exo Cafe Opens

I haven't tried it yet, just walked by Sunday evening and noticed it was fairly crowded. But I did find this pretty comprehensive first review from someone on the Queens Central Message Board: Exo Cafe - First impression and review Overall, the person liked it and thinks it's a good addition to the neighborhood. I look forward to trying it out sometime in the next week or so...

New Austin Restaurant Pics

My top-notch roving reporter snapped these this morning:

The new sign for the Agora Taverna is up (this is the Greek restaurant moving into the old Piu Bello location).

A quick peak into the new Exo Cafe showed it is nearing completion. 

Austin Restaurant Developments

As I wrote in my previous post, a sign is up for the new restaurant coming into the old Piu Bello location at the corner of Austin and 70th Ave. The restaurant will be called Agora Taverna and will serve Greek food.

Meanwhile, across the street, the new Exo Cafe looks like it is almost ready to open. Here are a couple of photos: